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Food Safety Tips

Cooking

Preparing

Sanitizing

Storing

Thawing

Buying

Cook chicken to recommended temp

Cook chicken until juices run clear and to recommended internal cooking temperature.

Cook to proper temp

It is very important to cook meat, including chicken, to the proper temperature to assure wholesomeness. Uncooked chicken should be cooked until the juices run clear. Check the internal temperature of your chicken using a clean, accurate meat thermometer.

Temperature is very important. Use a meat thermometer to check temperatures of meat to ensure accuracy. Use the temperature chart on the right to see more details on cooking temperatures.

Uncooked

Minimum Temp.

Boneless Chicken

170˚F

Bone in Chicken

180˚F

Whole/Roaster

180˚F

Ground Chicken

170˚F

Beef Steak

145˚F

Beef Ground

160˚F

Beef Roast

145˚F

Pork Chop & Roast

145˚F

Pork Ground

160˚F

Fully Cooked

Chicken

145˚F

Beef

140˚F

Pork

145˚F

Covered food

Covered food takes longer to cook in the oven.

Cutting board usage

Use separate cutting boards for vegetables and raw meats. If this is not possible, be sure to thoroughly clean the cutting board with hot, soapy water before cutting each ingredient and between cutting different slices of meat. Don't forget to wash your knife, too!

Marinade and basting

If you're planning to use a marinade to baste while cooking, divide the marinade into two separate containers. Use half to marinate and half to baste. Do not reuse the liquid used for marinating to baste your chicken.

More pieces take longer

More pieces in the pan will take longer to cook.

Sauces soups and gravy

Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating.

Space allowance

Allow space between pieces in baking pans.

Thermometer into thickest part

Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, and take the reading when the needle stops moving—about fifteen seconds. On bone-in chicken, take the temperature next to the bone. Be sure to clean the thermometer again right after using it.

Calculate prep time

As a general rule, calculate backwards from the time it takes to thaw and marinate your meats properly, as well as preheating the oven or grill, and add cooking time to arrive within 10 minutes of when you want to serve your dinner. Example: I want to serve dinner at 9 p.m., and cooking will take 50 minutes. I want to marinate my entrée for 30 minutes after it thaws for 14 hours. Thawing, then, should start (if not done overnight) no later than 6 a.m. that morning.

Covering meat

Meat should be covered with plastic wrap or placed in a leak-proof bag in a large bowl or pan on the lowest shelf to prevent it from dripping on prepared foods.

Microwave ovens vary. Defrosting times are approximate. Some microwaves may thaw foods faster than others. Follow your microwave manual's defrost instructions. This method is not effective for large items.

No cleaning chemicals

Keep food away from cleaning chemicals, poisons and pesticides.

Paper towels for cleaning

Use paper towels to clean kitchen preparation surfaces instead of cloth. You can then throw the soiled paper towels away.

Plastic cutting boards

Use plastic or other nonporous cutting boards. Wooden cutting boards can absorb juices, making them hard to clean thoroughly.

Sanitize after touching uncooked meat

Wash and sanitize your hands, tools, and preparation surfaces after coming in contact with uncooked meat.

Thawing Individually Frozen Chicken

Although Tyson Individually Frozen Chicken is covered with a thin ice glaze that protects the chicken from freezer burn, you should follow many of the same procedures as you do when handling fresh chicken.

Uncooked food thawing

Thaw covered uncooked foods on a plate on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator to prevent them from dripping on prepared foods.

Uncooked meat surfaces

Never put cooked food or food to be eaten uncooked (such as salads) on surfaces where uncooked meat has been prepared.

Clean up spills

Clean up spills with hot soapy water.

Hand Washing Procedure

1. Get hands and arms wet under running water as hot as you can comfortably stand.

2. Apply enough soap to build a good lather.

3. Scrub hands and arms vigorously for 10-15 seconds.

4. Rinse hands and arms with running water.

5. Dry hands and arms with a single-use paper towel.

Arrange freezer contents

Arrange contents of the freezer and refrigerator in an orderly way. It will help you keep track of what you have and keep temperatures even.

Cooked cut up chicken

Cooked, cut-up chicken is at its best when refrigerated no longer than 2 days; whole cooked chicken (without stuffing) may be stored for 3 days.

Cover tightly

Cover your foods tightly to keep them fresh.

First In, First Out

Use FIFO: First In, First Out. In other words, use older product first before you open a newer package of the same product.

Food spoilage

Temperature is still vital. The temperature range between 40° and 140°F is considered to be the food spoilage zone. Food should rest in this temperature range for only two hours. After that, it should be promptly stored to keep it fresh for the next serving time. Foods sitting more than two hours in this temperature zone should be discarded.

Food Transportation

When transporting cooked food to another dining site, place it in an insulated container or ice chest until ready to eat. Keep foods below 40°F or above 140°F.

Freeze after 2 days

Freeze fresh chicken, beef, or pork if you do not plan to cook it within 2 days after purchase.

Freeze fresh chicken

Refrigerate or freeze fresh chicken immediately after bringing it home. Never leave chicken in a hot car or sitting out at room temperature.

Freezer at 0°F

Keep your freezer at 0°F.

Freezing uncooked chicken

Uncooked chicken may be kept frozen for up to 6 to 12 months, depending on the cut.

Fresh product storage

If you purchase fresh product and don't plan to use it within a day or two, go ahead and freeze it right away. Fresh chicken, bagged beef and pork, and ground beef packaged in a tube can go straight into the freezer. For best results with trayed or wrapped beef or pork products, remove the meat from the packaging and wrap it in food-safe freezer bags or plastic wrap. Press out as much air as possible and wrap tightly with freezer paper or aluminum foil. Frozen uncooked chicken may be thawed and refrozen, but there may be a loss of quality due to moisture loss through defrosting.

Frozen cooked meat

Cooked meat and poultry may be frozen in the same way as fresh, unless made with a sauce or gravy. In that case, pack in a rigid container with a tight-fitting lid.

Frozen for 12 months

Uncooked meat and poultry may be kept frozen for as long as 12 months, depending on the cut. Review the handy charts included here for specific storage times.

Keep chicken refrigerated

Keep chicken refrigerated until you're ready to cook it.

Keep door closed

To maintain temperature, avoid leaving the door open. Try to decide what you want before you go in.

Keep hot or cold

If not eaten immediately, cooked foods should be kept either hot (between 140°F and 160°F) or refrigerated at 40°F or less.

Label and date your refrigerator's contents with the storage date. Leftovers should be eaten within 3 days. After that, put them in the freezer for long-term storage.

Meat bin

Keep meat in the meat bin or coldest part of the refrigerator.

Packaged fresh chicken

Packaged fresh chicken may be refrigerated in its original wrapping in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Refrigerator temp

Your refrigerator should be kept at 36–40°F.

Separate leftovers in containers

Separate large amounts of leftovers into smaller containers. This will help your food to cool down more quickly and help you to keep your space organized.

Shallow pans for soups

Use shallow pans for large amounts of soups or stews. Large containers take longer to cool down.

Stuffed chicken

If a cooked chicken is stuffed, remove stuffing to a separate container before refrigerating leftovers.

Stuffing and gravy

Separate stuffing or gravies from cooked products when freezing.

Sufficient air flow

Have sufficient air flow around products. This will make sure they maintain the right temperature.

Wrap separately

Wrap steaks, chops, and chicken parts separately in foil or freezer bags before freezing and label for ease in selecting just the right number of pieces to thaw for a single meal. Be sure to press the air out of the package before freezing. You may also freeze meat and poultry in their original wrappings.

1 day for large items

Allow a day or more for large items to thaw.

A few portions at a time

Following your microwave manual's defrost instructions, thaw only a few portions at a time on a microwaveable plate covered with plastic wrap. Rotate the plate one-quarter turn 4 times during the defrost cycle, checking portions before each rotation. Turn portions over and re-cover with plastic wrap halfway through the defrost cycle.

Breading Tyson uncooked frozen chicken

For best results when breading or marinating uncooked frozen Tyson chicken, the protective ice glaze should first be removed. Simply hold the individual portions under lukewarm running water for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let water splash on other food or food-contact surfaces. Sanitize all surfaces that came into contact with the water splash. Wash your hands with warm soapy water.

Cold tap water

Put the wrapped product in a sink full of cold tap water.

Cook after thawing

After thawing, cook immediately. Use this method only if you are going to use the item immediately in another cooking process, or to continue cooking immediately in the microwave.

Cook immediately or refreeze

After thawing, cook immediately or refreeze. Chicken defrosted by any method is best cooked before refreezing.

Defrost in cold water

Chicken may be defrosted in cold water in its airtight packaging or in a leakproof bag. Submerge the cut-up portions in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes to be sure it stays cold. Most products will be thawed within two hours.

Do not thaw Tyson IF chicken

There is no need to thaw Tyson IF Chicken, because it is recipe ready straight from the freezer. Just follow the instructions on the bag. Tyson IF Chicken is covered with a thin ice glaze that protects the chicken from freezer burn. Including defrosting (not thawing), there are a couple tips you can follow in handling IF and IQF meats.

Individually frozen

All Tyson Fully Cooked products are individually frozen during the production process to ensure freshness and prevent freezer burn.

Large sink for thawing

Use a large sink dedicated to the thawing process during the thaw.

No thawing water splashing

Do not let water used for thawing splash on food preparation surfaces.

Remaining product back in freezer

Take out only the portions you need and quickly place the remaining product back in the freezer.

Sanitize sink after thawing

Remove the food from the sink right after thawing. Then, sanitize the sink and other utensils used in the process.

Thaw uncooked on lowest shelf

Thaw covered uncooked foods on a plate on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator to prevent them from dripping on prepared foods.

Unopened bag

Place unopened bag or portions needed (covered with plastic wrap or in a leakproof bag) in a large bowl or pan, and refrigerate overnight.

Premium Protein. Our bodies require protein, and because protein can't be stored by the body, we need a new supply every day. Chicken is an ideal source of protein because it is lower in calories than most other meats.

Lower fat in chicken

Low in Fat and Calories. Chicken provides the complete protein you require daily. You can reduce the fat content of chicken even further by removing the skin. To avoid adding fat to chicken, use cooking methods such as stir-frying, grilling and broiling that require little or no fat. Another option is to use low-fat liquids in place of oil for cooking.

Sunday best roasters

Sunday Best Roasters: Large, meaty chickens ranging from 5 to 8 pounds; include neck and giblets.

Tyson quality chicken

Safety and Quality. All chicken sold in supermarkets is government-inspected for wholesomeness. The Tyson® brand is a further assurance of quality. We ensure the premium quality of our products by going far beyond the required inspection standards. Our chickens must pass 90 different inspections before they are given the Tyson seal of approval. Our chickens have a head start on quality even before they're hatched. They're grown from our own specially-developed breeder stock and raised on high quality feed we produce to meet all their nutritional needs. We use the same high quality chicken in our Tyson chicken as we do in our value-added, prepared Tyson products.

Variety of chicken

Convenience and Variety. Your supermarket meat department offers Tyson fresh chicken in a wide variety of packages. For example, you can purchase mixed cut-up parts, all white meat, all dark meat, or boneless, skinless parts, as well as whole chickens. If your time is limited, you'll find that chicken parts, particularly boneless parts, cook the fastest. In fact, you can prepare many chicken dishes in 30 minutes or less! Chicken is a versatile meal choice. It can be featured as the main entrée, included in a side dish, served for lunch as a salad, substituted for other proteins in a breakfast omelet or served as a nutritious snack.

Whole chickens

Whole Chickens (Broiler-Fryers): Chickens that weigh 3 to 4 1/2 pounds; packaged with or without neck and giblets.